House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sheila Hixson talks about the number of amendments facing her committee. Download This File

Harford County Republican Delegate Glen Glass was boycotting this special session, until today. Download This File

Harford County Republican Delegate Glen Glass had boycotted the special session, but he returned to Annapolis today. (Photo by WBAL's Robert Lang)

A panel of Maryland lawmakers on Monday lowered the amount of taxes that a casino in Anne Arundel County and a planned casino in Baltimore would have to pay under a measure to expand gambling and bring a new casino to the Washington area.

The legislation was approved Monday night by the House Ways and Means Committee.

The vote was 13-7.

The changes were made by the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Financial Resources, as the House began work on a bill passed by the Senate last week to allow table games such as blackjack at all casino sites and a new casino along the Potomac River in Prince George's County. Lawmakers are meeting as part of a special session on gambling issues.

The House amendments relate to extra money that the Maryland Live! casino in Anne Arundel and a planned casino in Baltimore would be able to keep in order to offset increased competition from a future Prince George's casino.

Under the Senate bill, the two casinos would have paid 5 percent less in state taxes. In the changes made by the House subcommittee, Maryland Live! would pay 8 percent less, and the Baltimore casino would pay 7 percent less.

Delegate Frank Turner, a Howard County Democrat who chairs the subcommittee, said the changes were made to better adjust to the increased competition.

"Remember now, this is going to be a very competitive market we have here now, not only inside the state, but outside the state, too," Turner said. "We want people to come to the state of Maryland."

In addition, Maryland Live!, which is the state's largest casino, would get an added tax advantage. If the casino takes over ownership of slot machines there, it would have its tax rate reduced by 8 percent more. In the Senate bill, larger casinos in the state would have received a 6 percent reduction for taking on the expense of owning the machines.

Maryland now has a 67 percent tax rate on slot machine proceeds, an unusually high amount. The gambling legislation before the General Assembly is resetting the tax rate to varying degrees based on competitive circumstances.

The committee meetings that were suppose to start early this afternoon were delayed as House leaders and Governor Martin O'Malley were meeting with lawmakers to try to get support for the bill.

Baltimore City Delegation Chairman Curt Anderson says the Senate bill is unacceptable to many members of the delegation, because the sixth casino would take business away from the Baltimore City casino.

Anderson also criticized all of the state senators from Baltimore City who voted for the bill on Friday.

"They were present, but were they awake," Anderson told WBAL News.

House Republicans are also criticizing the bill which they say is being drafted in secret.At least one Republican, who had boycotted the session showed up in Annapolis today.

Harford County Republican Glen Glass told WBAL News that he was concerned about a bill that is before another committee that addresses the liability dog owners for injuries caused by their dog.

Glass insists that the lack of a gambling bill is not an emergency justifying a special session.

According to the Maryland Constitution, any gambling expansion must be approved by voters.

Lawmakers are trying to get this bill to the Board of Elections this week. The board must finalize language for a November ballot question by next Monday.

Committee Makes Changes To Dog Bill

The House Judiciary Committee has made changes to a Senate bill that creates a strict liability standard for owners of all dogs, not just pit bulls.

The committee unanimously approved the bill Monday afternoon.

The Senate approved the bill on Friday.

The change was in response to a court ruling that determined pit bulls are "inherently dangerous" animals.

Several members of the House committee complained that the bill was too broad, and would make it difficult for dog owners to get renter's or homeowners' insurance to pay for damages their dogs cause.

The committee approved several amendments including one that would hold the dog owner responsible only if it were running wild.

This bill addresses an April decision by Maryland's highest court that created a breed-specific, strict-liability standard for owners of pit bulls or pit bull breeds.

Under the ruling, a pit bull owner could be liable for a dog bite without previous evidence of the dog being dangerous.

The passed bill also reverses a part of the ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals that made landlords strictly liable for pit bull bites.

The committee held a hearing on the legislation on Friday.

The full House of Delegates will begin a floor debate on this bill Tuesday.

Gambling Roll Call Vote In The House Ways and Means Committee

On Monday night, August 13, the House Ways and Means Committee approved an amended version of SB1 "Gaming Expansion-Video Lottery and Table Games" by a vote of 13-7